Anger in Silvermines as council prepares to allow draining of mine

The people of Silvermines have failed in their first attempt at stopping the conversion of a disused mine in their area into a massive landfill, with North Tipperary County Council indicating that it will allow a private developer to drain the mine.

Waste Management Ireland, a subsidiary of the world's biggest waste disposal company, Waste Management Incorporated, has sought permission to drain the former open-cast mine as a first step to converting it to a landfill capable of taking waste brought in by rail from up to nine adjoining counties over 25 years. Local residents, who form part of Silvermines Action Group (SAG), were dismayed and surprised by the decision, since the European Commission had indicated it had reservations about the project. It had queried "the ability of Irish authorities to authorise properly the discharge of contaminated water" because a directive on dangerous substances has not been transposed fully into Irish law.

Although no councillors have publicly supported the £16 million project, the council, acting in an executive capacity, has indicated it is about to announce permission for 1.6 million cubic metres of contaminated liquid to be treated on site and discharged into a nearby stream which it links with the Kilmastulla salmon river, which feeds into the Shannon.

It is understood that 41 conditions will be attached to the permission, details of which are likely to be released today. Most relate to treatment of the zinc-contaminated liquid - which forms a 50-acre lake on the floor of the mine - by large barges placed on its surface, and to monitoring arrangements. The former barytes mine was operated by Magcobar up to five years ago.

Ms Nuala Flynn, spokeswoman for SAG, said the decision was a setback which would be appealed to An Bord Pleanala, but there were many more battles to be fought over the development. "With the European Commission behind us, we hope we will win in the end. The Irish Government has sold us out."

There is a separate planning application for the development before the council, while a waste treatment licence application is also being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency. "Even if the discharge licence is granted, the company has to obtain further planning permission for additional works that are associated with the discharge of water from the site," acting county manager Mr Risteard O Domhnaill told councillors.

The significance of the project was underlined by local Labour Senator Kathleen O'Meara. "My understanding is that quite a number of local authorities are waiting to see what happens with Silvermines. In a sense it would solve all their waste management problems," she said.

But if a local authority was allowed to double its waste mountain and simply rail it out of its area, it was absolving itself of the responsibility of having to look after its own waste properly. "As a principle, it's a very bad one."

Local people knew that drainage permission might be granted. They were, nonetheless, worried that insufficient staff and resources would be available to the local authority to oversee the precarious treatment and draining processes, Ms O'Meara said.

A spokesman for Waste Management Ireland was not available for comment.